Gareth Bale is one of the most promising young talents in the Premier League, and is regarded as one of Europe's hottest football properties. Born in 1989, Bale first attracted the attention of Southampton FC at the age of just nine. At secondary school, he was such a prodigious talent that his PE teacher, Gwyn Morris, had to impose special restrictions on him to make it fair for the other pupils. These included playing one-touch football and not using his left foot. After completing his GCSE exams, Bale became the second-youngest player ever to sign for Southampton on 17 April 2006